


The Ballad of Kam and Tionne

by atamascolily



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Humor, Meta, Songwriting, Talent Shows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 16:13:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18472474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atamascolily/pseuds/atamascolily
Summary: Tionne is disappointed that their first meeting wasn't especially dramatic, but Kam--who's had enough drama to last for a lifetime--considers this a good thing.Of course, they've been married long enough to know how to compromise.





	The Ballad of Kam and Tionne

**Author's Note:**

> Technically, this fic takes place in the [Inheritance 'verse](https://archiveofourown.org/series/971142), but I've kept it vague enough it could also be generic Legends canon post-VOTF.

" _They met one day upon the way  
To a fiery piece of hell,   
Kam Solusar blinked, and he did think   
that she'd unleashed a spell--  
While fair Tionne spied with silver eyes  
a Jedi of far renown--  
And neither knew just quite who   
the other was, though rumors did abound-- _"__

__"Tionne, that's not what our first meeting was like at _all_!" _ _

__Tionne Solustar blinked at her husband's protest, and paused, her fingers still on the ballichord's strings. "Well, it _should_ have been," she protested, sticking her chin out in defiance. "It wouldn't sound very good in verse if I sang that we spent six months training together under Master Skywalker, followed by an entire practice period shoulder to shoulder in silence--not even _looking_ at each other--before we got to know each other." _ _

__"What's wrong with that?" Kam Solustar asked, settling down in a chair beside his wife. Their private quarters in the Main Temple of the Jedi academy on Yavin IV were sound-proofed, so their neighbors didn't have to contend with Tionne's tendency to practice at odd hours. It also meant it was the perfect place for just this sort of private discussion._ _

__"It's not _dramatic_ enough, Kam," Tionne said, as if it were obvious. _ _

__"I thought the oral history song cycles were supposed to be _true_. You can't just make up facts to suit yourself." _ _

__"I'm not making anything up--all right, I exaggerated a few details about that trip to the underground hot springs we took with Master Skywalker," she corrected hastily at his skeptical expression. "But there's _literal_ truth and there's _poetic_ truth, and I captured the _spirit_ of our relationship perfectly in this ballad. I don't see why Master Skywalker and Instructor Jade get to have all the fun with their epic romance--" _ _

__"Do you really want to be like them? So many years of flirting cat-and-mouse, will-they-or-won't-they, back and forth? Or d'you want to be stuck with compulsions to kill me? Or vice versa?"_ _

__"Well, no, but--"_ _

__"I've had plenty of drama in my life before I came here," Kam said firmly. "I don't need any more. Personally, I'm _glad_ we didn't meet like Luke and Mara. It makes for a fine tale later on, but it would have been hell while it's actually happening." _ _

__A few plaintive twinges escaped Tionne's ballichord in protest, but she said nothing._ _

__"Characters in the old ballads rarely get to be happy," Kam continued, "and if they do, they generally suffer a great deal before the happy ending. I'd just as soon live out the rest of my life out quietly and peacefully here at the academy, training the next generation of Jedi Knights alongside my wife, and leave the troubles to others."_ _

__Tionne sighed. "I don't know how to write myself as a heroine without drama. And I want to be a heroine. I'm tired of being left out. And since I write the histories, well... is it so wrong to write a story of my own?"_ _

__"No, but you don't have to exaggerate, do you? 'And they lived happily ever after, until the end of their days, and trained many a fine Jedi' is the legacy _I_ want. How many of your ballad characters get that?" _ _

__It wasn't many, and they both knew it. Even under Luke and Mara's guidance, there were still far more casualties, tragedies, and genuine accidents in the revived Jedi order than anyone wanted._ _

__"I'm open to suggestions," Tionne said at last._ _

__Kam rose from his chair and stood behind her, leaning down to wrap his arms around her neck. "How about this one?" he said in her ear._ _

__"Kam, that tickles, _ohhhhh_ \--" Tionne said. She squirmed away from his grip. And then, as he explained: "Oh. That might actually work." _ _

__Kam grinned. "I can't wait to see the look on everyone's face when you play _that_ in front of them." _ _

__***_ _

__True to his word, as the students and teachers filed into the Great Temple for the traditional summer work period Talent Night, Kam made sure to position himself for an excellent view of the proceedings when it was Tionne's turn at last._ _

__"My song is called 'The Joy of a Happy Ending'," Tionne said as she strode onto the stage with her ballichord, flashing a smile brighter than a supernova in Kam's direction. "Dedicated to my husband, for ensuring our very own."_ _

__Without further ado, she plunged into a complicated opening sequence on the ballichord for several minutes. Just when Kam thought she'd chickened out, the music swelled, and Tionne burst into song:_ _

___" _Not every beginning is fated._  
Not every ending is tears.   
Not every story ends poorly.   
Some love, it lasts through the years._

_____Tell me the stories of strong ones.  
Of those who are fated for great things,  
Tell me the stories of true love   
And those who soar high on their wings. _

_____But tell of those who are silent  
Who tend to the hearth and the home  
Tell me of those who keep faith here,   
Without feet or hearts that will roam._

__Tionne sang of the joys of the simple life, of working together every day with the same man instead of wandering across the galaxy, far, far away from each other. She sang of her love for happy endings in a world filled with sorrow and loss, and her surrender of any ambitions of power to accept the gifts she had. This, she claimed, was just as worthy of song and remembrance as any battle or dramatic declaration of affection under fire, even if it was rarely passed down as such._ _

__It was a stark contrast to her usual subject matter, and a deep hush fell over the crowd when she completed the song. For a moment, Kam was worried that she'd overplayed her hand, and it would be up to him to salvage the situation lest Tionne's feelings wounded--and then, with a roar, all of the Jedi in the audience applauded, rising to their feet in standing ovation._ _

__As per tradition, Kam came forward with a bouquet of fresh-picked paradise lilies and picked her up and swung her around in a passionate kiss as he carried her off the stage--which only made the crowd applaud harder._ _

__***_ _

__"Are you trying to tell me something?" Luke Skywalker said to Kam the next day. "A subtle hint, perhaps?"_ _

__Kam flicked an imaginary piece of dust off the corner of his robe, trying and failing to hide his satisfaction. "Tionne was feeling unappreciated. I thought it might cheer her up to remember that she's the one writing the songs and curating the history, and she needn't undervalue herself by comparing her life to others."_ _

__"Present company included, of course."_ _

__"Of course. Not _everyone_ takes years to get to the point, after all." _ _

__It wasn't often that he had the pleasure of verbally besting Skywalker. He was rewarded with a flush of embarrassed chagrin on the other man's face as Kam's point hit home. "Don't tell me you _knew_ all that time and didn't say anything!" _ _

__"Wasn't any of my business," Kam said, keeping to himself the fact that both Skywalker _and_ Jade would have brained anyone foolish enough to share their opinions during those tumultuous early years. "You two can have your dramatic ballads, and stand at the forefront of history. Me, I'm a simple man, and I'll settle for being a footnote in the great histories with my wife, as long as I get my happy ending and peaceful days." _ _

__"Fair enough," Skywalker said. "In that case, it seems like your wish has come true."_ _

__"So far, so good, anyway."_ _


End file.
